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Litter-Training

Litterbox Training
Start with a box in the cage, and one or more boxes in the rabbit’s
running space. If she urinates in a corner of the cage not containing
the box, move the box to that corner until she gets it right. Don’t be
concerned if your bunny curls up in his litterbox–this is natural. Once
she’s using the box in the cage, open her door and allow her into her
running space. Watch her go in and out on her own. If she heads to a
corner where there’s no box, or lifts up her tail in the characteristic
fashion, cry “no” in a single, sharp burst of sound. Gently herd her
back to her cage and her litterbox, or into one of the boxes in her
room. Be careful, however. You don’t want to make the cage or the
litterbox seem like punishment. A handful of hay in the box makes it a
more welcoming place. After she first uses the box, praise her and give
her her favorite treat. Once she uses the box in her room a couple of
times, you’re well on your way, as her habits will be on their way to
forming. As she gets better trained in her first room, you can increase
her space. Don’t hurry this process. And if the area becomes very big,
or includes a second floor, be sure to include more litterboxes, so as
not to confuse her. Remember, as she becomes more confident and uses
fewer boxes, you can start to remove some of her early, “training”
boxes. Get your rabbit into a daily routine and try not to vary it.
Rabbits are very habitual and once a routine is established, they
usually prefer to stick with it.
Another approach is to place a handful of hay in each box, or to
simply use hay as litter. It is helpful to put several layers of
newspaper under the hay, to absorb urine so that your rabbit is not
standing in the urine. Most newspapers today are using soy-based ink,
which is safe for your rabbit, but check with your local newspaper to
make sure first. Obviously, you need to change the hay fairly frequently
(daily), since your rabbit will be eating it. This method often helps
to encourage good litter habits as well as to encourage hay consumption,
since rabbits often eat at or near the same time as they use the litter
box.
Some rabbits often back up so far in the litterbox that the urine
goes over the edge. Again, a covered litterbox can solve this problem.
Another solution would be to get a dishpan or other type of tub with
much higher sides. Still another solution would be to get a “urine
guard” to place around the back of the cage, to keep the litter from
spraying outside of the cage.
If your rabbit continually urinates in a spot where there is no
litterbox, put his box where he will use it, even if it means
rearranging his cage or moving a table in the living room. It is much
easier to oblige him than to try to work against a determined bunny!Types of litter

clay litter is dusty–if your bunny is a digger, the dust can make her vulnerable to pneumonia

the deodorant crystals in some clay litters are toxic

clumping litters will clump inside the rabbit’s digestive and
respiratory tracts (the latter if they manage to make enough dust to
breathe) causing serious problems and often leading to death

corn cob litter isn’t absorbent and doesn’t control odor, and has the risk of being eaten and casing a lethal blockage.

oat- and alfalfa-based litters (available from Purina, Manna-Pro,
and King-Soopers groceries [not sure what the geographical range of this
chain is]) have excellent odor controlling qualities, but if a rabbit
eats too much, they expand and cause bloating; these, too, can be added,
with the bunny’s waste, to compost

newspapers are absorbent, but don’t control odor

citrus-based litters work well, offer no dangers, and can be
composted, but may be hard to get and expensive in some areas of the
country/world

some people have reported success with peat moss which can also be composted

Many people have great success with litter made from paper pulp or
recycled paper products. These litters are very good at absorbing and
cutting down on odors. A litter called CAREfresh is available.

Compressed sawdust pellets: are inexpensive, highly absorbent
litters used in many foster homes. They are made from softwood or
hardwood sawdust, but they are not toxic because the phenolic compounds
are removed during their manufacture. Their wood composition helps
control bacterial growth and odors. Wood stove fuel pellets and Feline
Pine are two examples of this product.